Day 250

No nap today!  Must be why I am so sleepy lol.  Church was really good.  It was the Young Women's program during our Sacrament Meeting and the young ladies who spoke were so sweet and spiritual!  It was really nice to listen to them (when I could in between taking care of Joel and Connor lol).  They made their mothers proud and I did get to talk to one mom who said when she read her daughter's talk yesterday, it made her cry....and she cried even harder today while her daughter spoke....such a sweet moment!

Teaching the 4 year old kids was good and time went by quickly today!  Joel got chosen as one of the reverent children and got to go up and participate in a Sharing Time activity....it was really cute and I am happy I got to see that happen!

We came home from church, had lunch, and the boys went down for a nap.  I stayed up because my visiting teachers came over.  We chatted for almost 2 HOURS!  It was really great though and in between all three of us sharing about our lives, crying, laughing, and giving advise, there were happy moments made.  I am so grateful for those women and the love they share with me!

Then after they left, our Home Teachers came over and shared a spiritual message and checked up on us....it was wonderful!  They are going to do a special Fast for me on Friday as I go in and get my next X-ray on my arm.  I feel so blessed to have such good people around me and thinking of me and my little family.  Fingers crossed on those X-ray results!

We went to dinner with my parents and then went back to their place for a visit.  The boys had so much fun that they didn't want to leave....the mark of a fun grandparent's house indeed!  But, we had to get these kiddos in bed!  So home we came and now it is time for ME to get myself in bed.  7 AM PT in the morning.  I hope everyone had a blessed day today and may there be many many happy moments all throughout the next week!

So sleepy! Got up at 6:30 this morning to get the garage sale stuff out and ready for people.  We sold about 80 dollars worth of items.  Still lots of things left over, so we bagged and donated some things.  Others went back to their original places and that is OK too!

After the garage sale morning, we headed out to do a picnic at a park with my parents and their congregation.  It was a nice time and fun to see people again that I have not seen for a while.

After the fun picnic, we headed home and Connor and I went down for a much needed nap!  We woke up and decided to continue our fun Saturday by heading over to the pool for a while.  It was a nice time swimming, but it got kind of cold at the end, so we cut our swimming time a bit short.

During our bed time routine tonight, Connor got down and funky dancing to a little stuffed animal.  He cracks me up!  His dance moves are too funny and I love how he purses his lips together and really concentrates on his moves!  He loves singing and dancing and it never fails to put a smile on my face when his cute lil voice sings out!

Well, time for bed.  I am still pretty sleepy from the day's activities.  It was fun doing so many fun family activities today!  Have a good night!

Day 248

Friday night is here and bring on Saturday!  Looking forward to our early morning garage sale tomorrow!  I tagged and priced all of our items and they are ready to go out and be bought in the morning.  LOL we had an idea also (to help pay for some of my medical bills) that for a dollar, one can pay to see my ghastly scar on the back of my arm....good deal right? We shall see :-)

Today is over!  I started out my morning at physical therapy and had an amazing session!  The physical therapist gave me half of a hockey stick with a 2 pound ankle weight strapped to it.  I was able to do 40 bench presses (and yes I broke a sweat and felt the BURN!) and it felt great!  I am really pleased that there is muscle tone returning to my arm!  I go in next Friday for another X-ray....fingers crossed there is bone growing there as well!

At Staples, I saw my friend Mary today.  She is a bright, cheery person, and I am always glad to get to have a moment or two to chat with her.  We bought our things and went our own ways, but we had the chance to learn some new things about one another and that was great!  After Staples, Connor and I went to a park day with some MOPS mom friends.  I don't know what I would do without that group of women!  Just getting out of the house for 1 hour changed my whole perspective on LIFE today!  I have been feeling so down, but after having Connor play with other kids, and getting to talk to other moms about kid things, my spirits were lifted and I headed home HAPPY!

I picked up Joel from school, Connor was down for a nap, and Joel and I ate a time honored kid lunch of celery with peanut butter and cream cheese spread.  Joel also had fun putting raisins along the top of the celery.  It was fun!

David came home and I began to cook dinner.  While doing that, my friend Jennifer, her son, and doggie, came over for a visit!  It was great having a doggie in the house for a few minutes!  We had a fun time visiting and Connor and William got to continue to have fun together while playing at the park...SO cute!  I am looking forward to next Friday night when we do pizza at the park with both of our families!  Should be fun!

Well, the dishes are done, the garage sale items are ready to go, and I am getting sleepy!  Time for bed.  I go to bed on a high note tonight...it was so nice to see so many of my dear friends today and get to catch up a little bit with each one.  I cherish even the 5 minutes I get to spend with other people...it is 5 less minutes of my day that I spend by myself or with just me and my crazy 2 year old.  I love him, but Mommy gets a bit lonely sometimes.  I am grateful for my friends...they bring so very many happy moments to my life!  Night all!

Day 247

Can this week be almost over already?  Wow!  Well here I am on Thursday night blogging once more.  I think I will do my happy moments in bullet form tonight. 

• I LOVE Thursdays because they are the least busy days of my week!  Getting to sleep in by 30 minutes and stay in PJs till 8:30 makes me feel SO lazy!  It is wonderful!
• Connor and I got to eat lunch with my dad today.  We tried a few new sushi rolls and they did NOT disappoint!  Connor behaved...as well as a 2 yr old does at a restaurant these days, and it was a very nice way to spend lunch time!
• We came home from lunch, got Joel, and Connor and Mommy went down for a nap!  Joel got to play the computer with headphones...he was in technology heaven!
• I made a most delicious dinner tonight and Joel not only ate quite a bit of it, he didn't complain!  Could be the fact that there were cupcakes for dessert, but I will take what I can get.
• Cupcakes for dessert...always a happy moment!
• Watched The Big Bang Theory with David.  It was some nice husband/wife quality time.  
• I am going to bed before 11Pm...oh so happy about that!

So there are my happy moments for the day!  Somewhere else in there, I took the boys to the park and we met some really nice people and kids that Joel and Connor got to play with.  It is always nice meeting new people!  Well, today is done and now I am off to bed.  Physical Therapy in the morning.  Let's see if I can bench press that half of a hockey stick 40 TIMES tomorrow! WOO HOO!

Day 246

Ok, so sometimes I hit post blog, and come back the next day and I didn't actually post my blog, but it got saved somehow...so here is day 246...Wednesday!

Today is done!  It was a day with a lot of tears...for the children I live with AND work with.  Thankfully I can look back today and smile and realize I had some pretty silly 2 year olds on my hands, but still...SO much crying today!  It started with Connor in the car this morning, then my next two children I worked with sobbed their way through speech therapy....OY!  I felt so bad, but did laugh a little because I was beginning to wonder if the 2 yr olds were all in cahoots today!

After work, I met up with David and the boys at Chick fil A.  It was getting REALLY stormy so we ate quick and headed back to the comfort of our home!  It was fun reading the boys a book that I used to read when I was a little girl.  Connor is in love with this book and carried it around with him everywhere.  If I had let him, he probably would have slept with it!

I had a few nice, happy, moments of bumping into some friends wherever I went today.  I love doing that!  It puts a smile on my face seeing people and makes me MUCH less lonely.  Sometimes I feel (and I know I am not alone in feeling this) like I am walking through this world, going through my motions, and am all alone doing these day to day tasks.  So it is REALLY nice when I get to see a friendly face to break up the errands and crying of the day lol.

Well that is all for tonight.  Here is to a sunnier day tomorrow with less precipitation in the sky and on 2 yr old faces!

Day 245

Alrighty!  Today has come to an end and I am hoping for health tomorrow!  I was pretty out of it today with a cold or something....still not sure what is going on, but hoping for a good night's sleep and feeling better in the morning! 

Woke up and had Dave stay home from work to help me out and take Joel to school and Connor to speech therapy.  I am sad that I missed out on going to the Mission with my friend and her son today, but maybe next week will be sunnier and brighter for us in all ways!  It was pretty gloomy today and tomorrow there is a forecast for rain.

After staying in bed for a while today, David brought me one of my favorite lunches and I got to take a nice nap afterwards!

I took a very long nap and woke up to the sound of the kids playing downstairs.  David took them out to the park so I could rest some more...ok and PIN on Pinterest some more lol.  We did a variety of food items for dinner tonight but all sat down together to eat them.  I am a HUGE fan of family meals...a family that eats together, stays together (or so many many many psychology studies and church articles say so and who am I to disagree?)

So eating together was nice.  Then David went out to get us some cookies so we could do some Family Time tonight.  I went to bed really early last night so we missed FHE.  The boys played with play-doh and made me all kinds of cut out letters, cookies, pies, and yellow burgers to eat...so fun!  David came home with the cookies and we sat down and watched Deadliest Catch (or that Crab show as Joel calls it).  Then we did baths and got the boys off to bed.  It was a good night and they got down before 8pm!  Usually their bed time is about 7, but lately we have been lucky to get them down before 8...so yea for us tonight!

Well, I am off to make a pot of steaming tea and going to sit and drink and relax before I take a ton of cold medicine.  Have a good night all and healthy thoughts for everyone!

Day 244

So Monday has come and gone!  I can't remember too much about today.  My head is getting a bit fuzzy and I feel like I am coming down with something...BUT I haven't had a cold in almost a year, and I must say, I kind of like having a NORMAL ailment for once!

I did go to work today and it went by quickly, so happy moment for that!  I came home and went up to bed and David brought me some tomato soup...such a nice husband!  I ate that and then drank some hot tea and took a hot bath to help what ever it is that I have.

I did get to help put the kids to bed a little bit, so that was good.  I love snuggling down on the rocking chair and reading stories while one or both sits on my lap.  That isn't going to be happening for forever with them, so I cherish those little moments!

I love it when my 5 year old wants just one MORE Mommy kiss or song before bed, or when my 2 year old reaches out to me in an effort to delay me leaving the room.  It is cute, but I don't let THAT last for forever either lol.

Well, off to dream land with some cold medicine and the hope that I will feel a bit better tomorrow!  Good night all!

Day 243

Sunday night is here and Sunday has come and gone again.  It is amazing how many Sunday there are when you are typing a blog for a year!  I know I know, 52 of them, but I feel like Sunday comes much quicker when I blog. 

We had a really good day at church.  The boys were WONDERFUL during our first meeting that we go to as a family.  The talks were amazing and it was nice to have some snuggle time with the boys.  During the 3rd meeting, the lesson in the women's organization was on trials.  It was a beautiful message and the teacher shared a Mormon Message...I am going to post the link at the bottom of this page...watch it with a kleenex...thank goodness I had some in my purse today!  I am grateful for my trials and for who it has made me become.  It was a lovely meeting and I think the spirit of the Lord was felt by all in that meeting today.

After church, it was lunch time and nap time for all.  Then dinner with my parents.  After dinner, we Skyped with David's parents and had a great time talking and sharing what we did this week with them.  The boys LOVE showing off things that they have or telling their grandparent's things that they did during the week.  It is really fun that we can SEE David's parents each week!

Well, it is time to go get a bath and then to bed.  Looking forward to watching some of my Sunday shows before drifting off to sleepy land.  I have physical therapy in the morning and am really looking forward to that!  I am so grateful for peaceful Sabbath days!  Sundays truly are a day of rest from doing things in the world, and I am so thankful my little family gets a break each week to relax and go and learn about what is truly important in this world.  Enjoy the Mormon Message my friends!
http://youtu.be/bhXPgZ4-krc

Day 242

I felt happy today.  I know, I have happy moments everyday and there have been many moments of JOY lately, but this was the FIRST time since I can't remember when that I actually felt HAPPY.  As fast as that moment came, it was gone.  Thoughts of "I shouldn't feel this way, there is still so much going on and I can't feel this way until I know things are going to get better!"  Shame on me.  I wish I could send that feeling of happy across the internet waves to you all...what a giddy, overwhelming, SMILING, moment it was!  I wish I could get it back....it was so nice to FEEL happy!  Hopefully the next time a wave of happiness like that comes along, I hold onto it with both hands and go with the flow!

We had a really nice day at the Pet Expo at the fair grounds.  We got to see all kinds of animals and the boys had fun petting dogs, looking at fish, petting fluffy kitty cats, and looking at all of the animal STUFF they had there.  I bought a few items for our future puppy....couldn't help myself :-) I am so grateful that we have this wonderful gift of puppy coming into our lives!  It gives me hope, it gives me excitement.  We saw a man carrying a puppy Golden Retriever today and I laughed as I told David that it would be us soon doing that!

After the Pet Expo, we went to one of our favorite Mexican Restaurants.  It was a really nice time and both boys were great! YEA! Especially because it was 3 O Clock and we had not yet taken naps...so for both of them to be so good was amazing!

When we got back in the car, the boys were being really noisy and crazy, as usual.  So I put in a Christian CD that I got from MOPS yesterday.  I kid you not, we drove the rest of the way home in complete SILENCE!  It is amazing what happens when the Spirit of the Lord is present...even in a car!  So I went online and bought some more kid Christian music from a lady named Jana Alyra who came to MOPS a while ago and shared her faith journey and music...the boys are going to love the music and I just might play it the entire 8 hours to Utah when we go this summer!

Well all, it is time to get my kiddos to bed and prepare for the Sabbath day tomorrow.  I am grateful for my moments of happiness and for my happy moments that happened today!  Hope you all are finding joy in this life!

Day 241

Happy Friday!  The end of the week is here and what a beautiful day it was today!  I started out my morning with a pretty bad flare, but off to physical therapy I went and they worked a ton on my shoulder.  I was a bit more loose after that.  I came home and took a hot bath with epsom salt....my bathroom now permanently smells like lavendar....nothing wrong with that!  I love that it smells like a spa!

David took Joel to school for me so I could be on time to drop Connor off and get to MOPS on time.  It was a beautiful meeting and we learned about 3rd world children in need of shoes and mission trips to 3rd world countries.  Parents can take their teenagers on this trip....I am thinking if Joel and Connor ever get the "gimmes" as teenagers, I just might sign us all up to go deliver some shoes!

After MOPS, I tried to put Connor down for a nap, but it was a no go.  So we put on our swimsuits and went to pick up Joel from school.  We headed over to our pool and went in the big pool, then played at the waterpark, then played in the kiddy pool.  Some friends from MOPS were there and it was a lot of fun watching Joel and Connor play with other kids and talk to my friends.  I need to get out more and this was such a great thing!  We came home and Connor and I took a 2 hour nap! Joel got to eat some lunch and watch a movie for his special down time....getting him to take a nap is like pulling teeth lol.

David and Joel went out for a special "guys night out" and they went and did some lasertag....they had a blast!  I took Connor we we got some dinner and brought it back home.  On the way out, I got to see my dear friend Jennifer....it is always nice talking with her face to face.  Giving her a hug and saying hello to her precious doggy (one of Daisy's BFFs) always a happy moment to blog about!

Well, we are putting the kids to bed and then time to snuggle into our big bed and watch some of the shows we taped this past week.  I wish you all to have some precious happy moments this weekend!  It is supposed to be sunny and beautiful here, time to get out and get some sunshine for real tomorrow!

Day 240

This week has just rushed by, but lots of happy moments had, and lots to look forward to in the coming days and months!

I took Joel to school today and came back and, with the help of little Connor, tried to pick up the house a bit.  It looks like a bomb went off in this place, but picking up just once every few days with one arm and not being able to carry things around has really done a number on this place.  So I did the only thing that makes us REALLY hop to it and pick up...I called the cleaners to come next week LOL.

Connor and I enjoyed a nice lunch out with my mom...until he threw a 2 yr old temper tantrum.  I have never experienced one of those before because Joel was a pretty good rule follower.  This was a full blown, screaming, snot faced, no amount of bribery was gonna make him calm down, tantrum.  So I picked him up with my one good arm, bid my mother farewell, and took him home and put him in bed....OY!  I have quite the stubborn child on my hands....but I sure do love him when he is sweet and funny!

We had a lovely meal tonight of chicken and pasta and salad thanks to our delivery of farm produce to our door...love it!  We had a lovely salad with lettuce, green onions, celery, and carrots with an Italian dressing...it was great!  Then after dinner, since I realized about half way through making dinner that I was pretty sticky lol, I got to take my bath for the day!  Some days are just like that, but at least I got it in!

After dinner, I was reading e-mails and I found one from Daisy's former breeder.  (In case you don't know, Daisy was the name of our daughter dog who lost her life at 13 months to a tragic car accident)  Daisy's mom is pregnant with a litter of puppies and they will be born around Joel's birthday!  We are so excited for this happy moment and I just know Daisy is looking down on us excited for us to get one of her sisters.  It was such a great happy moment and I am looking forward to some puppy kisses this summer!

Well, time to get ready for bed and begin my day tomorrow.  Tomorrow is physical therapy and MOPS morning...it doesn't get much better than that!  Have a wonderful night all and enjoy the happy moments of YOUR lives!

Day 239

And so ends another Wednesday.  I worked for a bit today, but mostly was here at home, without the kids, trying to pick things up bit by bit and make my house look and feel better.  It is not a lot of fun not being able to do too much for myself.  Tonight my arm is aching and it is all the proof I need that I need to keep depending on others, if just for a little while more, to help me out with the big things in life.  I truly believe that me doing TOO much TOO soon is why my arm has not healed in the past.  It has been a month now, but this was a serious break and so I need to give it some serious time to heal.  Makes sense :-)

Work was pleasant and I had a good time laughing with my kiddos as I tried to teach them how to produce the /r/ sound.

I ate a spinach smoothie for breakfast this morning.  That is not the happy moment...the happy moment was drinking it and not throwing it back up LOL  I actually liked it, and I put it in a plastic cup with a straw so I could not SEE the green goo as I drank it.  I figure I could use all of the healthy things I can get to help with my flaring.  We shall see if it works!

I had a 100 gift card from a store that was good for just a little while, so I headed to the mall to get the boys some more clothes...that was fun and the card is used and I think I finally have cute outfits for the boys for our family photo shoot coming up!

Well, I am very sleepy.  It is Wednesday, so lots of good TV shows are being taped on my DVR as I blog!  Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow and may the happy moments roll along!

Day 238

Happy moments by bullet tonight...have not done this in a while!

• Joel got to go on his field trip thanks to a trip to our neighbor 2 doors down (she is our pediatrician but I HATE knocking on her door...she was so nice!) gave us a Dr note and he was on his way...YEA!
• Connor is getting better in speech therapy....got to work on his expressive language with letters and colors, but his numbers are really good!
• The boys and I went to lunch with my friend Jinkee today.  It was so nice!  She texted me this afternoon right before I had to pick up Joel and we were off!  We went to a Sushi restaurant that had a conveyor belt and Sushi!  The boys ate plate after plate of Edemame and I got several of my favorite rolls in.  It was such a treat to get out and the boys behaved really well thanks to my "mommy survival bag" I now take with me.  Parenting ONE armed has taught me much! LOL
• We all got to take naps today...ok not David, but I did and the kids did.  I woke up to Joel staring at me from the other side of the bed.  It is creepy how quiet children can be when they WANT to be lol
• We had a great sit down dinner at home tonight!  I made dessert, with the help of Joel, and it was a hit!  I made it with this new Pampered Chef tool called the mini food processor.  It makes salsa and guacamole, but I made strawberry salsa with whipped cream and raspberries!  Poured it over an angel food cake with some chocolate syrup.  Joel called me the "pampered Chef" like how they name someone the Iron Chef on a TV show...we all got a good laugh out of that.
• Had some great bedtime fun with the boys.  Connor was dancing around to music and cracking me up!  
• The weather was SO nice today! My body really likes 80 degree weather.  Hopefully it sticks around for a while!  Hope everyone had a great day and that there were some happy moments to remember.  I am so grateful for MY happy moments of the day.  They make me smile just thinking about them!

Day 237

Ugh...what a Monday day it was today.  Everything went a bit slower today.  Joel was back in school, but not for long.  He came home with a freaky looking rash and a warning that he cannot go to the field trip tomorrow without a doctor's note.  It is really hard to get in the afternoon to see the doctor so we are hoping if we put on some cream and give him some Benadryl, the rash will go away and we won't have to see the doctor...we shall see!

Connor had playgroup this morning so I got to go to Bed Bath and Beyond ALONE and get some organizing things for our bedroom and kitchen.  It is really nice to shop solo!

Then I had Subway by myself, it was nice but sad all at the same time.  Hoping to eat lunch with someone other than just me this week.

I picked up Connor and then picked up Joel from school and Joel and I hung out while Connor took a nap.  David came home and off to work I went.  I don't work very many hours these days, but it is nice to get out, help some other children, and then come back home to mine.  The casserole that we were going to eat was still frozen solid in the oven, so out to a local hot dog place we went.  Hot dogs were 2 dollars each so it made for an inexpensive dinner!

We came home and did a quick Family Home Evening and then bed.  Bedtime was really nice tonight. The boys behaved and let us read stories and get through the routine without telling them to get dressed or brush teeth a million times!  Always makes for a pleasant evening if David and I are not yelling at the boys  GOODNIGHT, and then closing their doors and sweating from wrestling them down into their beds lol.

Well, looking forward to some time by myself.  Going to go take an epsom salt bath....been flaring a bit more lately and that seemed to help before.  Then snuggle down into my amazingly soft, big, bed!  Have a good night all!

Day 236 Sunday

Well, today is over!  Can't believe how fast Sunday went...it is because it is a Spring Break Sunday lol.  We went to church this morning, came home, and ALL took naps...I am really seeing a recurring theme in my Sunday happy moment blogs.  Church and naps seem to be the two happy things that win out on Sundays lol.  Then we all woke up and headed to dinner with my parents.

My parents had just gotten back into town from Solvang and they brought some fudge....but no sausages BOO! We ate fudge for dessert and watched Joel and Connor play battle with the new Legoland Tridents I bought them.  4 dollars for ANY theme park souvenir is a good price to me!

And now here we are at night.  Looking forward to the kids being in bed and getting to watch a few of my favorite Sunday night shows!  Happy beginning of a new week all!

Day 235

Saturday is done and Sunday is tomorrow.  Spring Break 2012 is coming to an end!  I am thinking that is a good thing at this point lol.  Yes, my happy moment will be when my little Joel heads off to school and begins to learn and spends some time away from me.  Between him and Connor, there have been very few quiet moments in my life during the past week.  TONS AND TONS of "STOP IT!"  from both kids and then "MOMMYYYYY!" Ah, sibling rivalry, it is here, and it is loud.  Thankfully Joel does seem to want to listen to me as I tell him to be kind and loving to his brother and he will quit being so annoying.  They usually end their fights with kisses and hugs...which then lead to more "Stop it!" as they tend to hug or squeeze too hard lol....boys.

We went to Chick fil A for lunch today and the boys got to get their wiggles out at the play area with Daddy while I shopped at the grocery store near by.  It was such a great thing because everything was on sale!  I am such a wife and mom lol.  My biggest happy moment of the day was to discover that cheese was on sale for 2.99 instead of 6.99 like at the other store where I shop.  And bananas were 49c per pound, whereas at the grocery store closest to me they are 79c per pound.  I was elated!  I did get a "why did you buy so many bananas and cheese?"  Cheese can be put in the freezer and who knows, maybe I will bake a banana nut cake this week!  It COULD happen lol.

We came home and Connor napped and I relaxed in bed.  We all gathered downstairs this evening and I made some buttermilk pancakes from scratch as Joel helped set the table, David cleaned dishes, and Connor yelled for dinner.  They all gobbled up the pancakes, so I guess I am still doing some things right!

Today is done.  I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of my evening.  Hope all of you enjoyed Spring Break as well if you had it!  Good Night all!

Day 234

Happy wet and cold Friday!  WOW has it been a cold day!

We had breakfast for the last time in our hotel room this morning.  I am going to miss that Kreuger coffee maker so much!  I brought my own Chamomile tea from home to brew and it makes some really great hot water!  It also worked to make hot water for our oatmeal that I brought as well (we don't eat breakfast on vacations typically because one egg for 5 dollars....not what we want to pay....unless we are watching a Killer Whale swim around at the same time and then OK lol!)

We packed up and headed out to Legoland for the day.  Well, at least Joel and David got to ride ONE ride.  We then ate lunch, rode an IN door ride, and then headed over to the Sea Life Aquarium...with everyone else from Legoland I am pretty sure.  The aquarium was very nice and the kids had fun looking and the fish and learning a bit about an octopus.  We headed out in the cold, pouring rain, for home after a couple of hours.  We made it home by evening time and everyone bundled up in our pajamas for the night.

The kids had dinner and then went to bed.  I think everyone is really tired from the long, cold, day we had today.  It is good to be home, and I am so very grateful that the weather was not this cold and wet during the majority of our vacation!  It was a good time, and I am so grateful for all of the happy moments we had together.  It wasn't Arizona, and there were just a few TRULY relaxing moments I was able to have, but we have some great pictures, and some memories to last a lifetime from this trip.  That is what it is all about!

Day 233

Well, I did everything I could think of to post those pics that I have of Sea World...it just would NOT save on my blog, so I had to give up.  They really are amazing though! lol So here we are on Thursday evening.  David and Connor are back and we are down to our last night before heading home.

David and Joel are down on the first floor in the game room.  Mommy's arm is not so great at playing video games, so I was a bit of a disappointment to Joel last night lol.  Hopefully with a handful of quarters, Daddy can play for a couple of hours as I take a long hot bath and Connor tries to go to sleep.  Oh and the bathtub at this hotel...AMAZING!  It is long AND deep and makes for the loveliest of baths that I have had in a long time!

So Joel and I spent most of the day without David or Connor.  We got up, had breakfast, and headed down to the pool with fingers crossed about the weather.  It was so nice!  It was sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and the pool was nice an pleasant.  I swam for a bit, then got out and read the newspaper as Joel swam right in front of me.  He put on swim goggles for the first time!  I was super proud of him!  He dove down and got diving sticks and had a blast splashing around.  I ordered us a lunch of hamburger, chicken fingers, fruit, and fries from the poolside grill.  I also got a virgin Pina Colada....splendid!  We sat poolside and had our delightful lunch, then packed it up and headed to the room for some bath and shower time.  After freshening up, we took the hotel shuttle to downtown Coronado.  We hit the local petshop and got something for our future puppy and my friend's Golden Retriever.  Then we went to the Hotel Del Coronado for some ice cream at the Mootime Creamery and sat beachside and ate while we watched the waves and birds fly by.  Happy moments galore!  We headed down to the shore after our ice cream and did some exploring.  Joel couldn't find any rocks to throw into the waves....that beach is all soft sand and I loved it!  He had fun running in and out of the waves with his feet.  After that, we went back up to the hotel and did some shopping at the stores downstairs.  Joel was such a good kid and we had so much fun having all of that one on one time!

At 4:15, the shuttle picked us up from downtown and we headed back to the hotel.  We hung out in the room for a bit and then Connor and David showed up.  We headed back to the downtown Coronado area and had a great pizza dinner at one of the local restaurants.  It was good to have the family all back together and sitting down to eat.  David got to tell me about his day, and I was able to get a few tidbits of information about Grandma's house from Connor.

It was a lovely day today.  I am enjoying our little break from home and life's stress so much!  Hopefully the weather holds for tomorrow, but there is an 80% chance of rain so we will see!

Day 232 Wednesday

Well, the weather held today and we had another good day at Sea World.  We didn't stay as long as yesterday, but we were there for about 6 hours...long enough to get more in and do things we didn't get to do yesterday.

This morning we started off with breakfast with Shamu...oh my that was totally amazing.  We sat right next to a plexiglass window and RIGHT on the other side of that was the tank with the Killer Whales!  As we were getting settled, Joel and Connor were waving to the whales and they came up and started talking with the boys...it was the neatest thing!  They also got annoyed with little Connor because he kept tapping his fork against his plate...something he does that annoys US as well....well...they flipped their tale at him and tried to splash us! LOL I told Connor, "See even Shamu doesn't want you banging your fork!"  It was a lovely buffet and the trainers came out and gave us LOTS of photo opportunities with the whales as well.  I will post a couple of my favorite pics at the bottom of this blog.

After breakfast, we were off on some rides and then did the Clyde and Seamore show.  It was adorable as usual and had the kids laughing.

After Sea World, Connor went down for a nap, and Joel and I hit the hotel pool that is heated to 80 degrees.  It was really pleasant and we had a great time splashing around.  Joel met a couple of friends from Mexico City and had a blast playing with them and asking them why they spoke Spanish...he was amazed that they spoke both Spanish and English...I told him he could do that too if he really wanted to!

After nap time, Connor and David left for back home.  My parents graciously agreed to watch Connor for me while David was at his business meeting that he could not reschedule.  Joel and I rented a movie, went to the lobby shop and got some sweets to eat, and headed to the game room to play a couple of video games.  It was a really fun mother/son night and I am really looking forward to hanging out with Joel again tomorrow.  I don't often get the chance to do that for long periods of time and I am looking forward to getting to know my 5 year old better.  Night all!

Day 231

So day one of our vacation has begun.  We packed for most of the morning and got everything and everyone in the car and headed out by 11:57.  By about one we were to Sea World....mommy drove a wee bit fast today.

We decided to get one Sea World annual pass and then the other tickets we buy were do a day, get the rest of 2012 for free.  The weather was not too bad.  No showers and only partly cloudy.  Joel and Connor had SO SO much fun looking at the animals, Connor feeding Sea Lions for the first time, watching some of the cute pet shows, and eating fun food!

My happy moment was getting an electric wheel chair to roam around in all day.  It was so nice to not have to walk!  My hip is still on the mend, and walking for long distances is NOT my thing! 

At night, we stayed and watched Shamu Rocks.  It is such an amazing show and it was Connor's first time to see Shamu.  He really enjoyed it and both Connor and Joel were doing some ADORABLE fancy dancing moves during the pre-show....I was laughing SO hard as they got down and got FUN-KY

We booked breakfast with Shamu for tomorrow...Joel is SO excited.  He said "mom have I done Breakfast with Shamu before?"  I told him he had not.  He said to me, "this is going to be so AWESOME!"

We got back to the car after the show and headed to the hotel on Coronado Island.  It took a while to get there, but it looks so nice and I am hoping we will get to spend some time in the pool at some point.  Looking forward to more Spring Break happy moments tomorrow to share on here!

Day 230

Well, made it through today and we haven't even started packing for our trip yet, lol.  Today was Joel's first day off for Spring Break.  I am so tired!  My friend came over and helped me do laundry and dishes while I took Joel to the doctor.  She thinks he has a little flu, so hoping he bounces back by tomorrow!  For now he is on what we like to call the "prisoner diet" bread and water lol.

It was nice to get to show my bedroom to my friend and I am so very thankful for strong arms to fold my laundry and scrub a dub my dishes!

I pretty much stayed in and out of bed as Joel rested and Connor napped this afternoon.  David came home and we had NO desire to cook a meal, so we headed out for dinner.

It is so peaceful in the house right now.  I am so thankful for kiddo sleepy time.  It is a much needed break sometimes.  Hoping our vacation, to San Diego instead of Arizona, goes well and that the weather is not as terrible as the weather man is predicting....we are in NEED of some happy moments!

Day 229

Happy Easter to everyone!  What a day!  What a DAY!  So late last night, poor Joel woke up throwing up again...on to laundry and an hour or so later....we woke up pretty late this morning and got to church an hour late.  At least we made it for the last 2 hours AND Joel got to give his talk...so grateful for that!

After church we came home and nap nap napped some more!  Then it was back to my parent's house for Easter Dinner number two.  I am not going to lie, today has been somewhat of a blur.  Somewhere in the day, the Easter bunny came and the boys looked for eggs...we were all so tired lol, I think the boys just went through the motions as well, but at least they had smiles on their faces.

Dinner tonight was great.  Poor Joel couldn't eat any and I am really hoping he feels better very soon!  We came home and talked with David's mom on the phone, hope they had a nice Easter as well.  Now it is time for bed.  I am grateful for today and for remembering Jesus and his resurrection.  Thankfully that part of today was not lost on me and I tried to remember my Savior's great atonement and love that he has for me.  I have felt it so much in these past months of trials.  He passed below all things and knows my pains...for that I am very thankful.  Have a good night all and bring on Spring Break!

Day 228

Well, it was a long...LOOOONG Saturday, but we got our bedroom all finished and I am so looking forward to having a new king bed to sleep in from now on!

I got the mattress pad and pillows for the bed.  Then I went around and bought dessert for our two Easter dinners.  While at the store, I ran into a mom of a little girl who lost her life due to organ failure.  This mom (the mother of Ruby) has dedicated her life to not only remembering little Ruby, but getting people aware of organ donations.  It is called Donate Life and I stopped and talked with her.  She was inside the grocery store and in tears!  She said she had gotten so many dirty looks and stares because she was inside the store.  People didn't stop to ask her what she was there for, they just assumed she was trying to sell something.  We talked for a good long while, and I was blessed to have finally met her.  What an incredible woman!  So for little Ruby and her mom, go to Donate Life and become an organ donor...you never know....

We had a little Easter get together with my Brother, his wife, their daughter, and my great-aunt at my parent's house this afternoon.  It was a fun time and the kids had great fun finding the Easter eggs grandma had hidden around the backyard.  I am grateful for fun family times!  Dinner was good and Aunt Ramona made an amazing pie!  She is 91 years old and still one of THE most talented people I know.

So we came home and a friend from church helped put together the rest of the bed.  Time for some MUCH needed sleep!  Looking forward to tomorrow!

Day 226

Mellow but crazy Friday lol...how can it be that some days I think are going to be free from stress and calm and then they snowball into all kinds of craziness?!

Started off the day having lots of fun.  It was Joel's Jog a Thon at school and he did such a great job running around.  He also won a gift certificate for raising the most money...he was so happy about that!

After the jogging was over, Joel got to get together with his class, the school mascot, and the sheriff's department for pictures.  I took quite a few pictures today and some of them turned out so cute!  I hope I remember to take my camera and do this for Connor's first Jog a Thon!

Later on in the day, after naps, that is when things got a bit crazy.  Poor Joel got heat exhaustion and started throwing up, so I had to take care of that.  Our vacation to Arizona, that we had planned on for months now, had to be cancelled because David accidentely scheduled a meeting with the U.S. government agency right smack dab in the middle.  So we had to reschedule and thanks to Priceline.com, we are now heading down to Coronado Island for a few days....it won't be the same, but Joel is still excited and I am trying to remember it is for him and hopefully he and Connor remember the fun family time and it will all be worth it :-)

I didn't really eat dinner tonight, we got a popcorn tin from the Popcorn Factory in the mail, so my meal consisted of caramel, cheese, and buttered popcorn lol.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day and we can start off the weekend full of happy moments and memories of joy.  Hope all of you had a good Good Friday....and even on those darkest of Fridays, remember, your Sunday will come :-)  Enjoy this message my friends....
http://youtu.be/xlc5RvmWN4s

Day 225

Mellow day today.  Oh how I love the end of the week when my life is far less Mommy crazy!  I dropped Joel off at school and Connor and I headed off for our weekly waffle with strawberries and whipped cream at the cafe.  I was happy to have him there this week with me because I didn't realize just HOW much waffle he eats and how much strawberries I eat lol.  Last week I was stuffed and couldn't figure out why...I basically get three bites of the actual waffle!

After breakfast, we did some Easter errands for the Easter bunny mama.  Connor is so little, he just had fun looking at all the candy and had no clue about the eggs and candy I was buying!

When I got home, I found out someone from my congregation was coming to help me do the dishes and laundry.  She was so wonderful!  She did 3 loads AND got the dishes done....I am so so grateful for people helping me!  I forgot to write yesterday that I went to the doctor.....I try so hard this time to NOT think about my arm healing and just focus on NOT doing anything to damage it, that I completely forgot about posting about what the doctor said and the pic of the x-ray!  So it is a day late, but the happy moment from yesterday was a picture that showed that my bone graft is still in tact and nothing has changed...I will take it!  I will post the x-ray pic at the bottom of this page.

So with all of the help I had today, I was able to play in the pretend kitchen with Connor, help Joel with his school work, and do lots of other little Mommy things that I love to do.
We also had someone call and deliver pizza and salad to our home so I didn't have to cook.  I cannot say enough how grateful I am for all of the help I am getting.  I hope all of those people helping me to heal my arm get blessings back to them one hundred fold!  Being able to not go into FULL mommy mode and cook and clean and do the dishes and other things I should NOT be doing with my arm really is helping it!  I just pray people stay patient with me as I continue to ask for the help.  If I can truly get this bone healed, then I can turn around sometime in the near future, roll up my sleeves, and get to helping others!

So today was a good day!  We were blessed by the gift of friendship and we had lots of happy moments.  I am going to do everything I can to get the kids to get a pic with the Easter Bunny tomorrow at the mall...wish me luck because I am going in without a stroller for Connor...should be interesting!

And now a pic....